Complex sets and props transform a Sharespeake classic at Studio 58. P4 Alternative healing Pet Reiki, yoga and hollistic practices are new trends claiming to help heal. P7 Sunny pumpkins South Vancouer pumpkin patch see's more business thanks to the sun. langaravoice.ca PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA OCTOBER 12, 2017 * VOL. 49 NO. 1*: VANCOUVER, B.C. No space at family place As South Vancouver densifies, community spots become crowded By ANA ROSE WALKEY (GG rowing development but lack of affordable hous- ing and childcare is caus- ing overcrowding at the South Vancouver Family Place and other community spaces in the area, ac- cording to community service workers. As South Vancouver grows, fam- ily places, community centres and neighbourhood houses are expe- riencing more overcrowding than usual. Kim Berger, executive director at South Vancouver Family Place, posted a notice on their website this September explaining how people could help decrease overcrowding at the centre. Some of the suggestions included lim- Kim Berger... a EXECUTIVE ee a’ up DIRECTOR ATSVFP to three hours daily and only twice a week, not bringing school- aged children and visiting other community centres and play- grounds. “We never want to turn anybody away,” she said. “I think there's def- initely a greater need for the service ... Our community is changing drastically in terms of demograph- ’ ” ic. A denser population, she said, means more residents in tighter living spaces who want to meet and spend time with people outside their homes. “Very large-scale city develop- ments do provide public amenities such as daycare and community centres,” said David Rawsthorne, a civil engineer for the City of Van- couver. “But the small to medium ones don't.” Melissa Needleman, secretary at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, said she has also noticed a problem. She believes it is due to the fact these community spaces are non-profit and, therefore, cheaper than using the city’s resources. Berger said the notice was not meant to deter visitors but to help manage a growing problem. SVFP is working to make no cost, low barrier programs more accessible for families in the future. Mary Jean “Watermelon” Dunsdon addresses supporters with a megaphone at a campaign rally the Wise Hall & Lounge on Oct. 2. 7Revor NAULT PHOTO Vancouver's weed diva is using cannabis to fill ballots By TREVOR NAULT he has a broad platform. Yet Vancouver City Council hopeful Mary Jean “Wa- termelon’ Dunsdon has narrowed in on one main strategy to lure voters and supporters: can- nabis. Her platform includes free pub- lic transit, affordable housing, harm reduction and the easing of rules surrounding cannabis dispensaries. But what drew in the crowds to her Oct. 2 rally in East Vancouver was the free joints and edibles, glowing hula hoops and burlesque dancers, with smoking paraphernalia avail- able at several tables. “You have to rally the troops, but you also have to entertain those troops,” Dunsdon, a well-known marijuana advocate, said of the night’s festivities at Wise Hall & Lounge. Throughout her cam- paign, Dunsdon has taken aim at the region’s “no fun city” image, driving around in her pink and green tour bus, painted like a watermelon. “Cannabis definitely inspired this group to get together,” said the Sensible Vancouver candidate, who acknowledges she’s in bed with the cannabis industry though denies her party is running a single-issue campaign. “We talk a lot about canna- bis,” said campaign manager Dana Larsen. “But we've also got a pretty broad platform.” Larsen, a cannabis activist and founding director of the Vancou- im ver Dispensary Network, said the Oct. 14 byelec- tion is a huge opportunity. “No one else is talking about cannabis dispensaries and how to deal with them, and really, the many benefits they're bringing into Vancouver,” he said. Tristan Risk, a supporter who attended the rally, said Dunsdon’s platform has a lot to offer, even be- yond pot. “She’s running under the Sen- sible BC campaign, and while their platform is largely cannabis, sen- sible relates to all things sensible,” she said, pointing to the campaign's solutions for the housing and opi- oid crises. ‘The Vancouver City Council by-election "wr sowas triggered in July when Vision Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs gave up his seat to take on a new position as Premier John Horgan’s chief of staff. LSU fai Turnout a flop at candidate forum By PERRIN GRAUVER ast week's all-candidates Le= at the Langara Stu- dents’ Union went largely unnoticed by dozing and lunching bodies, which, according to those running in the election, showed a communication breakdown be- tween the students and their union. Each of the 10 candidates were allotted a minute and a half to speak to their platforms. Eight s to capture au candidates read from what they had posted online days earlier. The floor was then opened for questions, though none of the students nearby took advantage of the opportunity. Speaking after the event, candi- dates mostly agreed| the LSU needs fresh strategies to promote student engagement with the union. The Voice cannot iden- tify individual candidates because LSU campaign protocols state they could be disqualified if the rest of the hopefuls were not given an equal amount of space in the paper. Only half the can- didates listed on the LSU website attend- ed. Several candidates noted that the LSU’s standard approach has been to self-promote only during orienta- tion week. The rest of the year, said one candidate, the union is mostly invisible and can be tremendously difficult to reach. A clerk at the student union of- lence fice said that LSU policy is to put up election posters, and if there were none, they had been taken down by mistake. Gurlal Singh, student representa- tive on Langara's education coun- cil, was unconvinced. “IT was a little bit disappointed with that excuse," Singh said. "I came to know [of the forum] very late and if I came to know very late, it means the only people who come to attend will be the candidates or random people (by accident)." Jeannie Bates, chief returning of- ficer who oversees the student elec- tion, said in an email the campaign schedule is set in August.